A Night at Padua High
by tlw13
Summary: The evacuation to Padua High because of a brushfire could not have come at a worse time for Kat Stratford. Will Patrick Verona be able to break through her walls and learn what's bothering her? Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. ABC Family does.
1. The Struggle with Emotion

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever, though I've been reading it for years. Please let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it. -Erika

A Night in Padua High

Chapter 1

Kat Stratford was not having a good day. Actually, today was her worst day of the year. October 16 was just an ordinary day for most, but she detested it. And now, making it even worse was the evacuation to her high school because of a brush fire.

Nature was screwing her over; after all she had done for it and love she had for it.

She had been laying on her dark purple covered bed, ignoring the world around her since waking up that morning. Her dad had knocked on the door a couple of minutes ago, telling her they had to leave immediately for the school. She picked up her comfortable black jacket and small notebook, knowing that her dad wouldn't let her stay at home. But she wouldn't be Kat Stratford is she didn't argue the point anyways. So making sure she had her favorite pencil, she headed down to the foyer, where her dad was waiting by the door.

"Dad, come on, is it really necessary to go the Padua High? I mean, being in one burning building isn't any better than being in another. We should stay in the building with the TV set and bed. There's a "Planet Earth" marathon going on tonight."

"Sorry Kat, you heard the emergency phone alert. All residents of Padua are heading to the school. We are residents; therefore to the high school we go. Come on, it will be fun. You and Bianca can introduce me to all your friends. We should make the most out of this."

"Uhh, dad," Bianca squealed as she entered the room in her PJs, "you are not gonna embarrass us, right? It's bad enough I'm wearing desert-print pjs. I don't even want to think about when Chastity sees them, and my not yet finished hair."

"Don't you guys have more important things to think about? Who cares what Miss Queen C thinks? And why would you want to socialize tonight? It's Saturday, I didn't want to have to speak to anyone today. I thought I was in luck with it being the weekend. Now, it's all messed up."

Bianca looked at her dad and gave him an eye roll and frown, followed by a small shake of her head. She knew Kat wouldn't be cooperative, especially today of all days. She wasn't in the best mood either, hence her comfort food pjs and beginnings of a make over. Unlike Kat, she was looking forward to seeing everyone. Being around her friends meant talking, which is the perfect way to get her mind off things. She didn't realize that Kat might have even more of a reason to hate this day. So with a last hair check, she headed into Padua High.

* * *

Mandela didn't know what to do or where to go. She had found an open and empty classroom an hour ago and had kept everyone else from entering it. It was her turf for the night, and she didn't want any of these losers she went to school with to come and annoy her. She figured once Kat got there they could just hang out and talk about the stupidness of this evacuation.

But now she was right outside the classroom and the door was closed against her back. She didn't know what went wrong, but one minute she was smiling at Kat and saying hello, and the next Kat was asking her if she minded leaving the room. Mandela wanted to be insulted, but Kat had really looked like she needed to be alone. She usually looked ready to kick some ass or insult some deserving diva, but when Kat had entered the class wearing her pajama pants, blue shirt, and jacket, she looked as if she had gone 5 rounds with herself and lost every time.

So she was guarding the door and giving her friend some privacy. Obviously, if she wanted to talk, she'd ask her to come back in. Sketchbook on her lap, Mandela started drawing another cartoon. Right when she was starting to accessorize her bimbo Padua high student with stiletto heels, two size 12 boots stopped right in front of her.

Looking up slowly, she stared into the dark eyes of Patrick Verona and said with a stutter, "Um, hi Mr. Verona. I hope you are having a lovely night."

Patrick Verona was not having a good night. He was supposed to be having a relaxing night, lying on his living room couch and doing some writing. Now he was back at what used to be his weekly hell. But that was before the two newest transfer students arrived. Kat Stratford was a breathe of fresh air at Padua High, and he was in the mood to take a big gulp of that breeze. After walking for a half hour searching for her or her gothic best friend, he finally found said friend sitting in front of a closed door. Considering Kat wasn't next to her, there were two possible situations. One, Kat wasn't here yet and Mandela was keeping lookout while protecting an empty room. Or two, Kat was in said room, and Mandela was protecting both the room and its occupant. Not wanting to wait to find out the answer, he went right up to Mandela and waited for her to look up. Once she got out a greeting, he went straight to the point.

"Where's Kat?"

"She's inside," Mandela responded, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the door.

"So why are you outside?" He said, asking the obvious question.

"I have my reasons."

"And why is Kat inside?" He was getting frustrated with her short answers.

"I'm sure she has her reasons, too."

"Alright, Mandela, just spit it out. What's going on with you and Kat? Or just you? Or just Kat?" Patrick wanted into that classroom, but he needed to get her to move before that was possible.

Mandela was indecisive. She knew Kat and Patrick had been having this weird back and forth relationship that had a lot of sarcasm with a hint of friendliness built into it. Should she tell Patrick how upset Kat had looked? Maybe he could get her to tell him what was wrong.

Going with her gut, she replied, "I had been saving the classroom for the two of us when she got here. She looked pretty down, so I asked what was up, thinking her sister had done something stupid or her dad was being weird. She didn't even answer, just apologized and asked if she could have the room to herself. What was I going to say, no? So I said sure and told her I'd keep guard and make sure she was left alone. She thanked me and turned towards the chalkboard. She hasn't been out since, and she got here around 2 hours ago."

Surprised that she said so much, considering her fear of him and protectiveness of Kat, he thought a moment before replying. He knew something big had to have happened if Kat kicked out Mandela from the room. All he knew is that if a guy was the reason she was upset, he would kick his ass this time. Letting Charlie Woo go without even a threat was hard enough; he wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Let me in. I need to speak to her."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

The fact that she was willing to overcome her fear and question his words showed him how upset Kat must be.

Respecting her protectiveness, he replied, " I think she needs to talk about what ever is bothering her. There is no need to get her angry with you, and she is always pissed at me. So you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain if I can get her to let it out."

Patrick wasn't the only one surprised by this conversation. She had never heard Patrick Verona say so much at once, especially to her. Maybe all the rumors weren't true. Then again, even if only a few were, he would still be a very scary person. But Kat didn't seem to have a problem with scary. Mandella knew some of her classmates feared her as well. Yet Kat had befriended her right off the bat.

"You really care about her, huh?"

He didn't want to give too much away, but he did want to reassure her that he had Kat's best interest at heart. So he replied with a casual "what do you think?" but gave her an actual smile instead of a smirk.

Understanding what he wasn't saying, she scooted over to let Patrick get through the door and enter Kat's domain.

The next chapter should be up here later this week. It's supposed to be a short fic, but you never know. Bye!


	2. The Beginning of Something Great

AN: Here is Chapter Two for you. It took me a couple of days to put up the first chapter, which is why this one is up so quickly. The next one should be up soon. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

The classroom Kat was currently occupying was designed as an English class. Three of its walls were covered with chalk and marker boards. Excerpts and poems could be read on the walls surrounding the boards, used to assist in the teaching of Creative Writing. Kat ignored all of these decorations, not wanting to read of happiness, love, loss, and hope written by those before her time. Today was the day when emotion was the enemy that had to be extracted from her heart, and she had found that drawing was the way to release everything she didn't want to feel inside.

So that's what she did. Going to the chalkboard on the left side of the room, Kat picked up the white chalk and drew two symbols that represented what held her thoughts in an oppressive grip every year on this date. This was only the third year, but to her it felt like a lifetime of pain.

She had just finished the second symbol, which had taken her a good forty-five minutes, and was about to begin another crying session, when she heard the door creek open. Not wanting to turn around and have Mandella see her looking so vulnerable again, she spoke facing her symbols.

"Did something happen, Mandella? Are we allowed to leave?"

"That's a new one," Patrick replied, " I've never been mistaken for a woman. My voice is a dead give away, and I'm not too feminine looking either."

He waited for her usual reaction of giving him that killer glare and spitting out some fiery words, but he was disappointed. She hadn't even turned around when she heard him come in, only stiffened her shoulders and stared straight ahead. What she was staring at, he had no idea, because the sketches made absolutely no sense to him.

The first looked like a messily drawn "H", though he knew that wasn't the case considering how carefully the design had been drawn. There were two vertical, parallel lines-the second being longer and curving to the left at the bottom- crossed through the middle with a horizontal line. The second was more intricate and equally beautiful as the first. Looking at it carefully, he realized he knew what the symbol meant, and the knowledge did nothing to quell his concern for her. The Chinese symbol for fear was one he had seen while looking for a tattoo for his shoulder blade. Obviously, it wasn't the one he had chosen, but he remembered it clearly because the tattoo artist mentioned he should just throw away that example since no one had ever asked him to use it. Patrick had thought the design beautiful, but the meaning behind it wasn't one he wanted to wear for all time.

So now the questions going through his head were focused on the two symbols. _'What was the first? And what did she fear?'_ He wondered how long it would take to get her to tell him. First, he had to get her to turn around. Well, always best to be polite first, so here goes nothing.

"Kat, turn around. Ignoring me isn't going to make me go away, and you don't scare me, so don't even try to get me to leave."

Kat knew what he was saying was true, but that didn't make her want to turn around any more than thinking it was Mandella. She couldn't believe Mandella let Patrick Verona through the door, yet she also couldn't believe that Mandella would just leave the door unguarded without letting her know first. But here he was, and she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't just let her behavior drop without good reason. Her vulnerable state of mind allowed her to take a chance without over thinking the pros and cons of such a decision.

Still not turning around, she spoke quietly, "Patrick, I understand that it's just as much torture for you to be stuck in this high school surrounded by our classmates as it would be for me if I didn't have this empty classroom and an understanding best friend. That being said, I would really appreciate it if you just gave me some space and joined the craziness that is Padua High full of various families outside this classroom. Right now I can't handle going head to head with you. I know I'll lose and that I'll end up resenting you for it. Besides Mandella, you are the only other person in this school I can stand to be around. I don't want that to change, and if you feel the same way, then please go outside and leave me to my thoughts."

Shock wasn't a strong enough word to describe what Patrick was feeling. _It must be a night for dropping pretenses. I was what would be considered nice to Mandella, and Kat just said something to me without sounding as if I was the last person on the planet she wanted to speak to. _He knew it must have cost her a lot to say all of that to him- to let him in just that little bit. He would respect that, but he couldn't respect her wish for him to leave her alone. She said she would resent him if he pushed, but if he was reading her correctly, she meant starting one of their usual battles of wits. That wasn't what he had in mind. She was proof that not all high school girls were shallow bimbos, something he hadn't thought possible. The more he saw of her and heard of and from her, the more he wanted to befriend her. _Or at least start as friends, but lead to more_, he corrected himself mentally.

With that thought, he made a decision. Tonight was the night their true friendship would begin. He had probably chosen the hardest moment to begin a friendship with the tough Kat Stratford, but if his hunch were right, then it would definitely be worth it in the long run.

Taking a few steps towards her, he stopped right behind her, so only a foot separated his front from her tense back. She didn't move a muscle while he walked to her or when he stopped. Deciding that could be seen as a good sign, he gently laid his right hand on her shoulder and said the one short sentence that would change everything at Padua High.

"I do feel the same way. That's why I'm not leaving."


	3. Release of Old Pain

Chapter 3

"_I do feel the same way. That's why I'm not leaving."_

Those were not the words Kat expected to hear coming from the guy standing right behind her. His hand on her shoulder was large and warm. Comforting. A word she never thought to equate with Patrick Verona. He was standing very close to her, but she did not feel overwhelmed by his presence, like she did when any one else tried to hang out with her on this day.

That fact gave her pause. Why him? Why was he the only one she could stand to be around? And did that mean she should let him in? Was the fact that he was here, looking at her symbols a sign in and of itself? She didn't have any answers to those questions, so she didn't know what to say to him. All she knew was that pushing him away wasn't an option and compromising seemed to have been her best move. She had let him in and he had done the same in return. Not only that, but also his words and the tone he said them in spoke of a deeper meaning. Him not leaving wasn't only a statement about this moment in time, but also a promise of being around in the foreseeable future. With that thought in mind, she gave him another concession and turned around to face him.

Patrick had been waiting patiently for a few minutes when he felt her move under his hand. Hoping he wasn't about to be punched or kneed, he waited as she slowly turned around, putting his hand back on her shoulder when she finished moving. She was looking straight ahead, which meant directly at his collarbone.

Breaking the silence, he said, "Look up here, Kat. I want to see those intense eyes of yours."

"Can't facing you be enough?"

"No, because only your body is facing me, not your mind. Letting me in means letting me see the emotions swirling in you eyes. I promise nothing that happens here will be spoken about by me to anyone else. Just give me a sliver of your trust."

Her head shifted up suddenly and her eyes clashed with his. In them he saw more than could be handled by a person alone. It assured him even more that he had made the right decision in starting this serious conversation. He decided the next move to make was to ask a question that would help reveal the problem without pushing her to feel too much at once.

"Can you tell me what the first symbol means? I've never seen it before today."

Kat let out a sign of relief. He hadn't made a comment about how horrible she must look at the moment. He also hadn't commented on what he must be able to read in her eyes. All she could read in his was concern. Deciding that he looked sincere, she agreed to tell him, but only after he answered one of her questions first.

"How do you know about the second symbol?"

"Tattoo parlor examples. I know it means 'fear'."

She looked at him with a very slight smirk on her lips. "Tattoo, huh?"

He responded with a small smirk of his own. "Multiple, actually, but that's a conversation for another day."

"Definitely," she said. After a few moments, she turned to once again face the chalkboard. Walking up to the first symbol, she lightly placed her hand on it, making sure the chalk was only minimally smudged. Taking a deep breath, she told him.

"This is the symbol for death. It actually comes from a game that I've never played but have heard about. I like it because of its simplicity. It's ironic. Death isn't simple; it destroys lives. It's a simple concept: you live, and then you die. It's inevitable. Yet, it leaves the living in chaos. What do you do now? When you're fourteen years old and have a twelve years old sister who misses her mom. When your dad is trying to make you feel better, but you know that nothing he says is going to make it better. I decided being tough was the answer. Strength was what kept us together. I was able to put a tight cap on how I felt which allowed me to be there for my family. And now my dad and Bianca can face today with optimism and acceptance, but I can't. I couldn't be the strong one and emotional at the same time, so I chose the former and stunted the latter. And now here I am, strong every day except the day that scarred me. That's why I drew this symbol."

She was crying now and couldn't do anything to stop the tears. Before she could get her thoughts in order and figure out a plan to clear her tears before he saw them, Patrick solved the problem for her. He carefully lifted her hand from the symbol. Five little dots were left behind where her fingers had picked up the chalk. Ignoring this, he turned her around and wrapped her in his arms, placing one of his hands against the back of her head and the other on her back. Holding her tightly, he pressed her head against his blue, cotton shirt so it would absorb her tears and dry her face. He didn't say anything, just moved his hand on her back in a soothing motion.

He couldn't believe how bad Kat's luck was to have the one day we were called back to school be the anniversary of her mom's death. The truth was worse than he had imagined, but as he felt the tension leave her body, he knew she needed this release badly. Since she hadn't stopped crying, he decided to make her more comfortable. Picking her up suddenly, he walked to where the chalkboard ended and slid his back down the wall, sitting down carefully with Kat held in his lap. She had already tried wiggling out of his arms and lap, but he wasn't having any of it. Finally giving up, she rested against him as she finished crying.

Kat decided that being held by Patrick Verona wasn't the worst thing in the world. _His arms were as strong as they looked_, she noted, _and they seem to have magic powers as well._ She had never felt so safe in a guy's arms. Heck, she had never felt so safe will so close to one of the male gender. She was glad he already knew what the second symbol meant. She wouldn't need to explain, he would assume that the symbol represented the fear of needing to be strong for her family, of whether or not she could help raise Bianca into a woman their mom would be proud of. He would be partly right, which was enough for now.

"So do you wish you had left when I told you to?"

"And miss having Kat Stratford in my lap? Actually, scratch that. I'm holding Katerina Stratford in my lap, which is even better."

She looked up quickly, wiping the last of her tears on her jacket. "What do you mean Katerina? And why would that be better, anyways?"

Patrick looked at her silently, moving a hair that had fallen across her eye to behind her left ear. "Holding Kat would be amazing, yes. Kat represents your tough as diamonds side- the feminist in you, if you will. Katerina is the half you keep hidden from everyone, even yourself. It's the part of you that you think is weak, too emotional. Letting her out in front of me shows how much you needed to get this off you chest. I'm glad you chose me."

After everything he just said sank in, she replied, "Who knew you were so well spoken and poetic? I guess I'm not the only complex one in the room."

"Nope, and I'm looking forward to finding out about more of your complexities. I know the second symbol has to do with more than just your mother, Kat. I also know now isn't the time to tell me why you drew it. Luckily for me, I predict we will have a lot of time for me to get to know all aspects of who you are and what made you that way."

Kat recognized the last sentence for what it really was. It was a question disguised as a statement. He needed her to say something that would agree with what he just said.- that they had forged a friendship today and she wouldn't revert back to her only Kat tendencies. He had been able to read her need to end this intimate conversation and not get into detail about the second symbol. She could read his need for reassurance.

Knowing what to do, she looked him in the eyes and said with complete confidence,

"Call me Katerina."

That statement would cement the start of change. Padua High would never be the same. Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona openly friendly allowed for the dropping of pretenses throughout the high school. Those who hid their true selves gained enough self-confidence to show who they were little by little. If the scariest students in the school could be friends and look approachable, then whom else could be friends just waiting to be found? The cliques would begin to morph into new and diverse groups. No one at the school could have predicted how much power two outsiders with dark reputations could have, but they soon realized that rumors weren't to be trusted, and their peers could be more than they appeared. That night in Padua High changed the course of its history, and only time would tell where it would lead.

AN: That's the end of this story! Hope you all enjoyed it. I plan to build on this story with random one shots of their friendship and eventually romantic relationship. The story about the second symbol will eventually happen, but not until further into their friendship. I want to write about other episodes between them before that happens.

I for one hate having to wait for a fanfic to be completed, especially ones I look forward to a lot, so I decided it would be best to write short fics that could be completed quickly for those who feel like I do, yet leave opportunities for the world I created to grow in other stories I write. Thanks for reading, and please review if you have a chance. I'd really appreciate it. TTFN! -Erika


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